This invention relates to an article conveying device, and, more particularly, relates to selective conveying of unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon.
It is oftentimes necessary to convey articles between different locations, such as, for example, moving articles, such as bottles or containers, from one location to another in single file with movement of the articles often utilizing a movable belt, as is now well known.
In connection with movement of unstable articles, such as plastic containers or bottles, however, it has often been found necessary to utilize additional equipment in conveying the unstable articles due to the tendency of such articles to easily tip during movement.
When conveying unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon, various arrangements have been suggested and/or utilized, including guides to engage the neck rings of the unstable articles and thereby suspend the articles, after which the unstable articles are urged along the path established by the guides by directing air toward the articles to urge the articles in a downstream direction (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,284,370 (Danler et al.), 4,724,035 (Mann et-al.), 5,028,174 (Karass), 5,100,265 (Mirkin), 5,147,153 (Aidlin et al.), 5,161,919 (Smith et al.), 5,299,889 (Langenbeck), 5,484,237 (Langenbeck), and 5,516,239 (Warren et al.)).
Such arrangements, however, often require additional equipment and/or time consuming equipment changes or rearrangement of the conveyor when different unstable articles need to be conveyed, and, particularly, when the unstable articles to be conveyed have different size neck portions requiring conveyor changes or rearrangement each time that the conveyor is to be utilized to convey unstable articles having neck portions of a different size than that of the unstable articles previously conveyed.
This invention provides a device for conveying unstable articles having neck portions with a neck ring thereon that is simple, requires a minimum of added equipment, and is capable of rapid change to accommodate conveying of articles having different size neck portions.
Unstable articles, such as plastic containers or bottles, having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon, are neck ring supported and are conveyed in single line along an article conveying path established by first and second guide units.
The guide units have spaced connectors that are now preferably formed as a portion of U-shaped channels having a bridging portion connected with the spaced connectors, and the spaced connectors have neck ring engagable elements thereon spaced different distances from one another so that the neck ring engagable elements of one guide unit receive the neck portions of articles having a size different from that received by the neck ring engagable elements of the other guide unit.
A first actuator preferably includes a pneumatic actuating unit (but could include other types of actuating units including, for example, a mechanical actuating unit) and a pneumatic control unit (but could include other types of control units, including, for example, a mechanical control unit) with the first actuator being utilized to cause relative movement between the first and second guide units to establish first and second operating positions of the device.
In the first operating position, the neck ring engagable elements of the first guide unit establish the article conveying path for articles having a neck portion of a first predetermined size, and, in the second operating position, the neck ring engagable elements of the second guide unit establish the article conveying path for articles having a neck portion of a different predetermined size from that of the articles conveyed by the first guide unit (i.e. the same article conveying path is established by the neck ring engagable elements of the first and second guide units but enable articles of different size to be urged along the article conveying path).
A second actuator preferably includes a pneumatic unit (but could include other types of units including, for example, a mechanical unit, such as a movable belt, or a combination of pneumatic and mechanical units such as an air conveyor and/or a movable belt) utilized to urge the unstable articles along the article conveying path then established by the first or second guide unit.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved unstable article conveying device.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved device for selectively conveying unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon.
It is another object of this invention to provide an article conveying device for conveying unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon along an article conveying path established by either of a first or a second guide unit having spaced connectors with neck ring engagable elements thereon.
It is another object of this invention to provide an article conveying device for conveying unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon that includes first and second guide units having neck ring engagable elements with the neck ring engagable elements of one guide unit spaced a distance different from that of the neck ring engagable elements of the other guide unit to enable selective conveying of unstable articles along an article conveying path established by the first and second guide units.
It is another object of this invention to provide an article conveying device for conveying unstable articles having a neck portion with a neck ring thereon that includes first and second guide units having differently spaced connectors with neck ring engagable elements thereon, a first actuator for causing relative movement between the first and second guide un s to establish different operating positions for conveying unstable articles along an article conveying Heath established by the first and second guide units, and a second actuator for urging the unstable articles along-the article conveying path. With
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included as come within the scope of the claims.